Mounting apparatus



Nov. 2, 1965 w. J. MORRIS ETAL 3,215,380

MOUNTING APPARATUS Filed July 14, 1964 2 sheets-sheet 1 gms D 9nd Nov.2,1965 w. J. MORRIS ETAL 3,215,380

MOUNTING APPARATUS Filed July 14, 1964 2 Shee'bs-Sheei'l 2 F/Q. 6. fws o 7nd,

United States Patent Office 3,215,380 Patented Nov. 2, 1965 mons, Levittown, Pa., assignors to Philco Corporation,

Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 14, 1964, Ser. No. 382,443 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-27) This invention relates to mounting apparatus for radio broadcast receivers and the like. It relates particularly to a device for installing major components, such as loudspeakers and clocks, which have generally flat mounting plates supporting their speaker cones and clock drives. The invention contemplates securement of such a component to a supporting surface in the receiver.

It is an object of the invention to establish such securement, particularly with the mounting plate in a position close and parallel to the supporting surface, and to effect it by snap-on action. It is a further object to provide this action by simple, rugged and inexpensive means. Still another object is to make the mounting releasable and to facilitate removal, repair, and replacement of components.

Toward these objectives the invention provides a generally rigid panel surface, disposed for example in a radio receiver, with a flexible holder strip or the like, having end portions thereof secured to the panel surface and having a body portion resiliently movable over said surface, in close proximity thereto, for engagement with a support surface on a clock or loudspeaker or other major component. A simple and preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing appended hereto, in which:

FIGURE l is an elevational view of said embodiment, the View being taken from within the receiver cabinet.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the receiver.

FIGURES 3 and 4 are sectional views taken respectively, and approximately, along lines 3 3 and 4-4 in FIGURE l. FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of principal elements of the mounting apparatus. FIG- URE 6 shows an enlarged detail, taken from FIGURE 3, in two operative positions thereof.

Referring first to FIGURES 1 and 2: radio receiver 10 is shown as having a front panel 11 the inside of which provides generally planar mounting areas 12 and 13, utilized respectively for the support of clock 14 and loudspeaker 15. The actuators and associated principal structures of such devices are generally secured to at mounting plates 16, 17, which are shown as being held to mounting surfaces 12, 13, and in close proximity thereto, see FIGURE 3. Mounting plates 16, 17 are generally of metal, while panel 11 is advantageously made of a synthetic plastic substance or other electrically insulative material.

Each of the mounting structures, as best shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5, comprises a fastener strip 18 bent in approximate U-shape and extending along the mounting surface on panel 11. As further shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, each mounting structure further includes small rigid bosses 19, 20 on the mounting surface of panel 11, for abutment and securement of one end of the component mounting plate. These bosses, as well as fastener strips 18, can be made of plastic material generally similar to that of panel 11.

As is clear from FIGURE 5, strip 18 has a pair of bar-like end portions 21, 22, each having an edge rigidly secured to the mounting surface on panel 11. The strip additionally provides an elongate portion 23 not secured to the panel and resiliently bendable into position 23. The ends of this resilient strip portion, which constitutes a flat-spring element, are anchored to or integral with ends of bar-like end portions 21, 22. The body of resilient element 23 has wedge-shaped bosses 24 preferably molded on and to a surface of said body facing abutment members 19, 20, the bosses being located on a central portion of the strip between the ends thereof.

The so-arranged fastener elements 18, 19 and 20 are easy and inexpensive to provide, either as integral parts of panel 11 or separately therefrom and for subsequent attachment by cementing or other suitable techniques. For instance these elements can be formed by casting or molding procedures. v

The arrangement of the fastener elements is such that strip 23 is resiliently movable a limited distance over the plane of the panel surface, w-hereto the ends of the strip are secured, in order to secure a mounting plate and its `component unit to panel 11. For this purpose one end of mounting plate 17 is inserted in slots 27 extending into abutment blocks 19, 20 (FIGURE 3). At this time the plate is held at an acute angle to the support panel (FIG- URE 6). The other end of plate 17 is then brought down on-to bosses 24, as indicated at 17. On application of slight downward pressure to the top surface of the mounting plate, spring element 23 with bosses 24 thereon, is deccted into broken line position 23 (FIGURE 5), While abutment 19 or 20 acts as a stop against which the mounting plate reacts (see FIGURE 3). Plate 17 then snaps into the desired position beneath bosses 24 directly adjacent panel 11, whereupon spring element 23 with bosses 24 resiliently returns to its full line position, thereby completing the snap-on mounting of the plate.

Panel 11 is perforated by slot 25, below and adjacent the normal position of strip element 23, to allow insertion of a suitable tool 26 whereby the strip element can be deflected into position 23', shown in broken lines in FIG- URE 6, when it is desired to release support plate 17 from retention under boss 24, to provide for removal of the plate. When released after such bending, strip element 23 springs back from 23 to its normal full-line position, due to the resilience of this element.

Desirably, abutment bosses 19, 20 are reinforced by integral ribs 28 (FIGURE 3). It is preferred to reduce the cross section of strip 23 between mounting bars 21, 22 and Wedge bosses 24 by slots 29 (FIGURE 4) thereby not only promoting the resilient bending of the strip but also providing for an alternative method of releasing plate 17 from the snapped-on condition, when insertion of a tool 26 (FIGURE 6) is impossible. A suitable hook-shaped member, not shown, can be inserted through slot 29 (FIGURE 4) engaging central strip portion 30 below wedge bosses 24 and thus allowing the user to bend strip 23 and release mounting plate 17.

-While only a single embodiment of the invention has -been described, it will be understood that the invention contemplates such variations and modifications as come Within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for installing a component such as a clock or loud-speaker on a support member in a radio or the like, said apparatus comprising: at least one strip resiliently movable over said support member, adjacent and generally parallel to a surface of said member, and wedge-shaped retaining means on said strip for inserting the component by snap-on action, into position with a component surface adjacent and parallel said support member and retained below said wedge-shaped means.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein both ends of the strip are rigidly secured to said support member.

3. As a device for releasably fastening a mounting plate on a panel of a broadcast receiver or the like: an elongate fastener element having at least one end secured to said panel and having a body resiliently movable over the plane of a surface of said panel; a wedge-like body projecting from the body of the resiliently movable fastener element, the wide portion of the wedge-like body being disposed closely above said surface; and rigid means on said panel for holding an edge of the mounting plate,

opposite said wedge-like body adjacent to said panel and in snap-on relationship to said Wedge-like body.

4. In apparatus for installing a component assembly on a support in a radio or the like: at least one resilient strip movable over said support, adjacent and parallel to a surface of said member, and retaining means on said strip for snap-on insertion of the component assembly, the retaining means being so shaped and disposed that movementof the component assembly past the retaining member detiects the resilient strip and accommodates movement of the component assembly into position beneath the retaining means, and thereafter allows resilient return of the strip to hold the component assembly in said position.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said panel is perforated under said strip and retaining member to permit insertion of a tool for distorting the strip after insertion of the component assembly.

6. A structure for mounting a component unit having a support plate, said structure comprising a support member of electrically insulating material, for instance of synthetic plastic substance; a generally U-shaped fastener element of similar material, said element having both ends thereof rigidly secured to a surface of said support member while having an intermediate part thereof resiliently movable relative to said support member, parallel and close to said surface thereof; a wedge-shaped boss on said intermediate part; and abutment block means on said support member for holding the support plate of said unit in snap-on relationship to said wedge-shaped boss.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,702,116 2/55 Shnitzler et al. 206-16 3,005,571 10/61 Hall 22060 3,020,400 2/ 62 Rosario 250-16 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING A COMPONENT SUCH AS A CLOCK OR LOUD-SPEAKER ON A SUPPORT MEMBER IN A RADIO OR THE LIKE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: AT LEAST ONE STRIP RESILIENTLY MOVABLE OVER SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, ADJACENT AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO A SURFACE OF SAID MEMBER, AND WEDGE-SHAPED RETAINING MEANS ON SAID STRIP FOR INSERTING THE COMPONENT BY SNAP-ON ACTION, INTO POSITION WITH A COMPONENT SURFACE ADJACENT AND PARALLEL SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND RETAINED BELOW SAID WEDGE-SHAPED MEANS. 